Already six years ago, I decided to begin a blog, and I had no idea by then that it would go so far and that I’ll still be writing it today. I remember writing my articles at the university library back in 2014 and 2015. At the time, I was doing a screenwriting certificate at the University of Quebec in Montreal. My! That seems like ages ago. I remember one of the first people to follow my blog was actually a guy from my program. I don’t really have news from him anymore, but it was nice of him to encourage my new project at the time!
As you know, each year, I like to make a little post on my blog anniversary and say what happened in the last year. Well, as you know, I completed a master in film studies (by the way, you can read my thesis on screwball comedy here). In terms of blogging, The Wonderful World of Cinema was nominated for a CMBA Award in the Best Comedy/Musical category for my article on Quality Street (George Stevens, 1937)! Aside from that, I now have 436 followers, and I’ve almost published 500 posts!
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Last year, on the blogs’ 5th anniversary, I invited people on social media to ask me questions about my blog or myself, just for fun and for the readers’ entertainment. I had planned on answering them in a new post not long after but actually never did. So I thought I’d take today’s occasion to finally answering them!
So, here we go!
Question: Which article from the last 5 years are you most proud of and why? (asked by Maddy from Maddy Loves Her Classic Films)
Answer: Well, that is easy to answer, and I would, without hesitation, chose my article Discovering Paul Dupuis that I published back in 2017. I know the considerable amount of research there is behind this article, and I consider it a real achievement. Plus, I received amazing feedback, and, now, this article is even linked in the sources of Paul Dupuis’s English Wikipedia page! So, I’m proud, to say the least.
Q: Who are some classic actors/actresses that you think are overrated or just don’t enjoy? (asked by The Story Enthusiast)
A: That is a difficult question because my opinion of actors/actresses changes all the time. For example, I used (in another life) not to really be a fan of William Holden, but now, he’s my 2nd most favourite actor, and I’m just obsessed with him. Or, I’m not really a fan of Fred MacMurray in dramas, but I learned to appreciate him more via his comedies (he’s hilarious in Too Many Husbands!). At the moment, well, maybe I’ll go with Lana Turner. From what I’ve seen of her, she hasn’t impressed me much. But then again, I haven’t seen many of her films, so it’s hard to judge, and maybe my opinion of her might change in the future!
Q: Do you have a preference between English and French? Have you ever written for your blog in French? (asked by Erica from Poppity Talks Classic Films)
A: Of course, I’m much more comfortable speaking French as it is my first language. Yeah, I had many occasion to speak English. I did my bachelor degree at an English university in Montreal – Concordia- and my master at Stockholm University was in English as well. Plus, I also spoke English for a year in everyday life when I was there. French is a difficult but beautiful language. There are more words to describe something in French than there are in English. It’s a very rich language. However, French has its traps. For example, I think it’s easier to write things like songs in English because, in French, it’s easier to dive into something cheesy. So, to answer’s Erica’s question. I would say it depends on the situation! I have never written a blog post in French! Maybe one day!
Q: What would you ten “desert island” movies be? And other than Virginie, what is your ideal name? (asked by Jon on Facebook)
A:
I would go with varied things:
1- Some Like It Hot (because it’s my favourite film)
2- Bringing Up Baby (because I’ll need a screwball comedy)
3- Kiss Me, Deadly (because I’ll need a noir)
4- The Lady Vanishes (because I’ll need a Hitchcock)
5- Carry On Sergeant (because I’ll need a Carry On)
6- C.R.A.Z.Y. (because I’ll need something Quebecker to not feel too homesick!)
7- The Towering Inferno (well, if I can bring only 10 films, I’ll bring at least one long film!)
8- Romance on the High Seas (because I’ll need a musical)
9- La Grande Illusion (I’d like to have something else in French!)
10- Modern Times (because that’s one of the films that made me discover classics, and I really never get tired of it).
I chose these pretty spontaneously, so maybe the choices will change tomorrow!
Well, Virginie is not necessarily my most favourite name in the world, but it’s my name, and I like it. I think it fits well my face and my personality. So, if I had the option to change it, I don’t know what else I would pick. BUT, I’d maybe change it to Virginia as it is easier for non-French native speakers to pronounce it and spell it. Some people really butch my name sometimes and don’t understand that it’s the French variant of Virginia and that it is a pretty normal name among French-speakers lol.
The five following questions were asked by Gill from Real Weegie Midget Reviews :
Q: If you could ghostwrite for any celebrity’s autobiography (alive or dead) who would you write for?
A: Oh, dear. To be honest, I don’t think I would do that. First of all, you’ll have to be an expert on your subject, 2- I feel it wouldn’t be honest and 3- Well, if I write something I’d like to have some credits!
Q: Who would you pick as your dream acting line up for a movie, and for what movie?
A: Does it have to be a film that exists, or can it be my own invention? Ok, I think a film with Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine would have been crazy, and add Lillian Fontaine to that! I’m not sure what the result would have been and how the shooting would have gone (probably not very calmly), but I’m sure the result would have been interesting. Maybe this would have been a good cast for a family drama!
Q: What is your favourite acting related biography or autobiography?
A: That is a difficult question because I’ve read some marvellous biography/autobiography books. Quick like that, I think I’ll go with Self-Portrait, Gene Tierney’s autobiography because it was pretty perfect. But of course, there are many other great ones.
Q: Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with if you could pick anyone from entertainment?
A: Kenneth Williams, definitely. A chat with him in an elevator would be the most entertaining and funniest thing ever.
Q: Which bloggers do you admire?
A: I have a list of bloggers I love on this page. However, there are many more that I admire, and I haven’t updated this page in a long time. Gill, I love your blog, although it is not on the list. Remind me to add it!
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It was fun to answer all these questions! If you have some yourself, don’t hesitate to ask!
Before leaving you, I want to thank all the people who have read and encouraged my blog for the last six years and, therefore, made its existence possible!
Happy 6th anniversary to The Wonderful World of Cinema!
